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China Smorgasbord Trivia Quiz

A smorgasbord of Chinese culture, history, and interesting tidbits.

A multiple-choice quiz by aqualung. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
aqualung

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
13,236

Updated
Feb 18 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
3859

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Approximately how many Chinese characters are in common usage today (that is, the number in a standard Chinese dictionary)? Hint

50,000

2,500

10,000

25,000

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Question 2 of 10

2. Moon cakes are associated with what Chinese festival? Hint

Mid-Autumn Festival

Lantern Festival

Chinese New Year

Dragon Boat Festival

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Question 3 of 10

3. In case you didn't know, the Chinese invented paper. Approximately what year is traditionally recognized as the year paper was invented? Hint

AD 100

700 BC

1400 BC

AD 600

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Where is the official Chinese imperial art collection housed? Hint

London

Taipei

New York

Shanghai

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Question 5 of 10

5. The Chinese are very proud of their food, and Cantonese food is often said to be the best. One thing Cantonese food is famous for is its ____________. Hint

spicy dishes

dumplings

garlicky flavor

dim sum

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is one thing almost any hotel in China offers? Hint

Putt-putt course

Billiards room

Movie theater

Prostitutes

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Question 7 of 10

7. Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping initiated and directed economic reforms starting in 1978?

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. A popular pastime amongst Chinese people is Tai chi, or Tai Ji Quan. What is it? Hint

A form of martial arts which uses sticks

Breathing exercises

Slow-motion martial arts

A board game similar to chess

9. During the Shang dynasty (2nd millennium BC) early Chinese characters were used in divination. These divinations were usually written on one of two kinds of materials, animal bones or ___________. Hint

elephant tusks

dried cowhide

turtle shells

jade tablets

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. What Chinese city is famous for the Bund, a stretch of European neo-classical buildings built early in the 20th century? Hint

Beijing

Shanghai

Guangzhou

Hong Kong

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Approximately how many Chinese characters are in common usage today (that is, the number in a standard Chinese dictionary)?

Answer: 10,000

It's hard to measure, especially since there are two or more versions for many characters, but a well-educated Chinese person should know roughly 10,000. There are around 50,000 in total, but most are archaic.

2. Moon cakes are associated with what Chinese festival?

Answer: Mid-Autumn Festival

Every October Chinese people eat and give as gifts these small round, not-particularly-tasty cakes.

3. In case you didn't know, the Chinese invented paper. Approximately what year is traditionally recognized as the year paper was invented?

Answer: AD 100

Paper was supposedly invented by Cai Lun in the year AD 105, though there is evidence that rudimentary papermaking was done before that. It was originally made of hemp.

4. Where is the official Chinese imperial art collection housed?

Answer: Taipei

Called the Palace Museum (Gugong) and dating back centuries, this collection was taken to Taipei by Chiang Kai-shek in 1949. Of course that was a largely denuded version of what it once was, much of which was transported to Europe and America following the Boxer Rebellion.

5. The Chinese are very proud of their food, and Cantonese food is often said to be the best. One thing Cantonese food is famous for is its ____________.

Answer: dim sum

Dim sum is small snack-like food, including spring rolls and small sweet cakes. Many regions in China are famous for their spicy food, Sichuan being the most famous. Dumplings are considered more of a northern food.

6. What is one thing almost any hotel in China offers?

Answer: Prostitutes

Yep. This is Asian culture. Chinese men love to go on business trips.

7. Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping initiated and directed economic reforms starting in 1978?

Answer: True

Unlike Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping is practically unanimously praised by mainland Chinese people today.

8. A popular pastime amongst Chinese people is Tai chi, or Tai Ji Quan. What is it?

Answer: Slow-motion martial arts

Generally translated as shadowboxing, there are several versions with differing numbers of movements. It's associated with Taoist philosophy.

Answer: turtle shells

The bone or shell was marked and then cracked by heating. Then the diviner would read the cracks and write the results on the bone or shell.

10. What Chinese city is famous for the Bund, a stretch of European neo-classical buildings built early in the 20th century?

Answer: Shanghai

Quite a nice site, especially as it contrasts with the ultra-modern architecture on the other side of the Huangpu River.

Source: Author aqualung

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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